Page 109 of Taste of Thorns

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Briony

“What?” I say, staring down at him in disbelief. His pupils are blown so wide only a thin ring of silver circles the blackness.

“You were right, Briony,” he repeats. “It was Bardin who killed your sister.”

I rock back on my heels, and, rubbing his head, he curls up to sit, the muscles of his bare abdomen rippling as he does.

“I don’t understand.”

“I saw it. I saw what happened. I saw her kill your sister and …” He trails off.

“What do you mean you ‘saw’?”

“One of my visions.” He massages his knuckles into his temple. “It’s never happened like that before – never fucking hurt so much.”

“You had a vision and you saw my sister?” Beaufort wouldn’t lie about something like this and yet it seems so incredible. I’ve been searching for answers for so long and here they were residing in his mind all along – or maybe not residing, but hehad the power to see the truth. “I thought your visions were only of the future.”

“Mostly. But there have been a couple before that showed me the past.”

“And you’re sure this one was the past? It wasn’t something that’s going to happen with some other girl?”

“The girl in the vision looked just like you, Briony, only your eyes were different.”

“Are you sure?” I repeat, my voice quivering. “Are you sure it wasn’t me, that the vision wasn’t of the future?”

“No,” he says with absolute conviction. “I have your face seared into my being, Briony Storm. It wasn’t you. But it was a girl who looked like you. It had to be your sister.”

“And you just summoned that vision out of nowhere?”

“I have no control as to when they come or what they show me.”

We’re both silent for a moment, processing this information.

I was right – I am right – about the Madame. She killed my sister. She killed Esme Jones. She killed so many others. Maybe she meant to kill me too that day in the maze. Maybe she would have if it hadn’t been for Thorne.

“We need to tell the others and then we need to stop her.”

He holds up his hand, imitating my gesture from several minutes before. It has me freezing. Only a moment ago, I was concerned this man had betrayed me. Now I see how stupid and foolish that was. He believes me.

“Just give me a moment. These visions, they leave me disorientated and feeling like I might puke my guts out.” He smiles sheepishly at me and it’s so damn adorable, my stomach flutters.

“Did the vision you have about us leave you sick and dizzy too?” I ask him.

“No,” he says, his smile turning sly, “that had me determined to hunt you down and find out more about you.”

“That first day, out in the mist.”

“That first moment when I saw you on the platform. You blew my breath away, even before the vision came. I knew there was something special about you, Briony Storm.”

“The lumomancy,” I say, peering down at my hands.

“No,” he says, sliding his hand into my hair. “It was more than that.” He brings his mouth to mine. “I missed you,” he murmurs against my lips.

“Promise you won’t go away again,” I say, knowing how pathetic that sounds but unable to help myself. I don’t like it when we’re apart. I want him around.

“I’ll try my best, sweetheart,” he says, kissing me with heat and urgency, his hands sliding down to my waist.